Consumer demand for electronic devices with increased functionality continues to drive the semiconductor industry to pursue enhanced performance of integrated circuits. Therefore, various methods to increase the speed of semiconductor devices, such as transistors, have been proposed. For instance, increasing mobility of charge carriers in the transistor can lead to enhanced performance.
However, some techniques for enhancing semiconductor device performance can require complex additional fabrication processing steps, leading to potential defects, decreased yield, and increased costs. For example, one technique for enhancing performance of a transistor includes providing stress to a channel region thereof, leading to enhanced charge carrier mobility and faster performance. Disadvantageously, stressed channel regions can increase fabrication complexity, leading to increased costs and reduced yields.